


Strangers on a Train

by orphan_account



Category: Sharp Zero (Webcomic)
Genre: M/M, sometimes u gotta accept ur trash and publish your trashwork anyways, this is garbage but the first thing i've written in months so please be understanding
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-09-13
Updated: 2017-09-13
Packaged: 2018-12-27 15:23:20
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,041
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12083829
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/orphan_account
Summary: He darted in, grabbing for the pole closest to the door, but the train lurched before Elliot could grab it, sending him hurtling into a stranger’s incredibly solid body. He grabbed Elliot to steady him. Elliot was both pleasantly flustered and absolutely mortified.His mortification only intensified when he realized the stranger that he’d fallen on was the same guy he’d been hopelessly, stupidly crushing on for about a month.----An alternate meet-cute AU.





	Strangers on a Train

Elliot liked riding the train. Sure, it could be cramped and smell like 3-day-old take out, but it was easy and crowded. Crowded in the best way. Crowded in the way that meant that even though you were travelling alone, 30 people could be there with you. People you vaguely remember from high school, people you only know from your shared route, and complete strangers all jammed into a tin can hurtling through the city. The random assortment of passengers was like a cross-section of the city. As interesting as they were, Elliot figured he might’ve been able to major in something like that, if it were a course of study and he’d ever actually managed to go to college. 

(He was never really cut out for that. There was a hot second where it looked like Marcus might’ve been able to go, but between bills and everything else his parents left behind… Well, life comes at you fast.) 

Elliot surveyed the people on the train. It was a lighter day, only 6 other passengers in the car with him: a middle-aged woman reading a book, a teenage boy on his phone, a couple speaking back and forth in rapid Farsi, a girl popping bubble gum, her hair dip-dyed pink. 

He was determinedly not looking at the sixth passenger. If he looked at him, Elliot was pretty sure that he would start checking him out. And then he’d look stupid. Because you can look at each other out of the corner of your eye, but it was an unspoken rule that you weren’t supposed to stare at other passengers. And Elliot kind of wanted to stare at this guy. Or get lost in his eyes. Whatever. 

Elliot chanced a glance ( _ fuck _ ) because he had zero impulse control. The man wasn’t Elliot’s normal type. He was clean-cut and soft looking. He was tall, bullshit tall: a human skyscraper, covered in freckles, with a pair of striking blue eyes and a mess of red hair that Elliot could see himself running his fingers through. Fuck, he really wanted to do that and he didn’t even know this guy’s name. Elliot averted his eyes, focusing on the cool surface of the pole he was braced against and the bumpy deceleration of the train.

It slowed to a stop at the Midtown station, and handsome sweatshirt boy got off. Elliot felt a pang in his chest. It was stupid to regret it now, but Elliot wished that he had asked for his number. 

He mentally shook himself as the train pulled away. Sometimes you fall a little bit in love with strangers you’ll never see again, and that’s just life. If it was meant to be, it would have happened.

\-----

Elliot saw tall-soft-and-ginger on the train again. He was probably more excited about that than he should have been. He hadn’t talked to him yet, but he kept on telling himself that he would. It wasn’t- Elliot was normally pretty good at this. He liked talking to people, and flirting was his favorite form of banter, but Elliot was nervous. He really wanted to get this  _ right _ . 

By the time Elliot felt like he was ready to talk to the man, they were already at his station and Elliot was watching him leave. 

He really needed to do something about that, and he would eventually. He was lucky that the guy was becoming a regular passenger. 

\-----

Elliot was running late. He was always running late, but this time he was running  _ especially _ late. Ace and Kate had been held up at work, and he and Madina had gotten up to shenanigans trying to get Abra to confess to the crush that she had on the guy that worked at the pizza place. 

He didn’t expect to make the train in time, but through some miracle or another he arrived just as the doors were about to close. He darted in, grabbing for the pole closest to the door, but the train lurched before Elliot could grab it, sending him hurtling into a stranger’s  incredibly solid body. He grabbed Elliot to steady him. Elliot was both pleasantly flustered and  _ absolutely mortified _ . 

His mortification only intensified when he realized the stranger that he’d fallen on was the same guy he’d been hopelessly, stupidly crushing on for about a month. 

“Oh my god! Are you okay?” 

_ Fuck _ his voice was deep. And nice. Elliot could listen to it all day. 

“Yeah, I’m good.” Elliot said, and the stranger let go. “Not nearly as bad as it could have been, and I’ve definitely been in worse positions. Still, uh-” Elliot knew he was rambling. He felt stupid in the way only a really, really attractive person can make you feel stupid.  “-sorry. I didn’t mean to run into you.” 

“No, it’s fine,” cute guy promised, blushing as if flustered by Elliot’s attention. 

_ Fuck _ , Elliot was  _ super fucking gay _ . He hoped this guy was super fucking gay too. 

Also, he needed to be more smooth.

“I’m Elliot, by the way,” he said, (finally) grabbing the pole and letting his shoulder brush against the guy’s side. “Can I have the name of the guy who saved me?” 

“Danny,” the guy responded, “and I didn’t really save you; I was just being decent.” 

“I don’t know about that. I could’ve hit my head on the way down; I might have died. You’re kind of my hero,” Elliot argued, letting himself marvel at the deep blue of Danny’s eyes. This caused the tips of Danny’s ears to turn pink, so Elliot considered it a success. 

“That’s nice of you to say, but it really wasn’t a big deal.” Danny insisted, abashedly breaking eye contact, smiling a little. It was incredibly cute. 

“What’s a big deal for you then? Saving the city? Fighting evil?”

Danny’s mouth quirked up a little. “Something like that, I guess.” 

“Well, Mr. Super, how do you feel about music?” Elliot asked, using what he damn well knew was his most charming smile. 

\-----

He got off the train ten minutes later with Danny’s number and a promise that they would meet up next week at The Royal Flush. 

The whole thing felt right, Elliot thought. A little bit like destiny. 


End file.
